Tuesday, June 5, 2012

MY WORD FOR JUNE 6 IS ROOT!


My word for June 6th is Root

I plant a garden every spring, not one of vegetables, but one of flowers.  It seems every year something happens to my fragile tiny pieces of joy.  Last year, one of the high school boys, that was helping on the farm decided to mulch my whole flowerbed.  The mulch crushed every stem and every color of happiness.  This year my sweet little dogs have decided they love my garden.  They waller in the dirt, eat the leaves and buds, and lie on the stems.  Another culprit of damage was the wind.  A strong wind blew up one day knocking over my large birdhouse and crushing my Black Eyed Susans.  I am hoping that some of my flowers will survive so I can enjoy their beauty in the next few weeks. 

One thing about all my plants is that even though the stems, flowers, and buds are smashed, crushed, or eaten the roots are still there.  The roots are hidden beneath the soil doing their job.  They are anchoring the plant, growing downward to hold on to the earth.  The roots nourish the plant by absorbing nutrients and moisture.  They even store extra food for future use.  Roots also help in supporting the plant so the plant doesn’t fall over.  The root system enables a plant to exist, without the roots the plant wouldn’t survive. 

The analogy in the Old Testament that Jeremiah expressed compares the faith filled person to that of a strong tree: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside waters, that stretches out its roots to the stream. It fears not the heat when it comes, its leaves stay green. In the year of  drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit" (Jer. 17:7-9).  To live a life that is full of faith our roots must be grounded with the Lord.  The Lord is hidden within us doing His job.  He is anchoring us to His words.  The Lord nourishes us by filling us with the Holy Spirit and His love.  We are absorbed in His goodness.  He is even there to throw in more love when we need it.  Even though the Lord is rooted in us supporting us, at times a storm might blow up and send us toppling over.  During these times He is still deep within our soul supporting us to stand back up and rise to the occasion. 

Be rooted in the Lord with all of your heart.  For us there is hope, even if cut down we can sprout.  Just as a stump, the tree is gone, but the roots survive sending shoots up that can grow into a tree again:  (Isa. 11:1, 10-11) ~ Isaiah prophesied, "A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.... On that day, the root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, the gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious. On that day the Lord shall again take it in hand to reclaim the remnant of his people"

Ephesians 3:17-18, KJV
"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; "

Dear Lord help us to stay rooted with You.  We want to be absorbed with Your love and the spirit of Your goodness.  As we grow, assist us in flourishing in your garden.  We realize that even when we are shifted out of our upright position You are still there with us, supporting us.  During our journey of 2012 lead us to those who need our care, those who are still sprouting and those who need help to keep moving upward. 

http://www.rc.net/wcc/rooted.htm Rooted in Gods Word, Jeanne Kun

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